System of drip-water return.



PATENTED Nov. .12, 1907 N A. R E M M I fin R W om 5 6 0 7 8 0 N.

SYSTEM OF DRIP WATER RETURNQ APPLICATION FILED now 24 1906 r gy .. practically boiler pressure in the vessel or pipe convention; Fig.4. is s more 'cranpletediagram oi pipin only automatically but also immediately, and as a re .feed water pipe leading from the pump toj the boiler.

sure in the drip pipe than in the feed water pipe. I

'to the boiler with the main-supply of feed water and nonme- To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, WALTER H. Zmxnrigini, a'citi Zen ofthe United States of America, and a'residnt of ljellal b, county oiDe Kalb; and State of Illinois, have inventeda new and useful Improvement in a vSystem. ofDrip-Water Return, of which the following is a. fi'cation. My invention relates to drip connections for steam wherebythedrip iromithe various strem pipes, however collected, will be automatically returned to the boiler without the necessityhoi specialpumpiug or equivalent apparatus. I accomplish this result not suit the water of condensation is returned to the boiler by the mostdirect path, practically "as soon ss it is formed in the various portions of the steam pipe. It: is thus returned to the boiler with very'little loss of heatand a consequent gain of efficiency. is the results My invention is based on the fact that in steam plants where ordinary reciprocating pumps are used for feeding water to the boilers, there is aninte 'ttent reduc,{ tion of pressure below that of the boiler pressure in the This is due to the intermittent action of the pump and to the inertia of the water in the pipe. There is always taining the water of condensation or drip, and from this it follows that at certain periodic intervals while the feed pump is operating, there will be a higher presmake use of this fact by piping from the various low points of the steam mains to the feed water pipe, pref-- erablyat a point nearer to the pump than to the boiler. In this drip pipe I places. check valve so connected as to allow water to flow toward the boiler but not in the reverse direction. Since there is always full steam pressure upon the water in the drip pipe and at inter-. mittent intervals less than steam pressure in the feed water pipe, it follows that at these intervals there will be a flow of waterfrom the-drip connection to the feed water pipe throughthe check valve." The water oi. condensation is thus at every-stroke of the pump ied this without going through any other apparatus'than a check valve and necessary pipes. The result is therefoi'e accomplished automatically and with a minimum loss of heat of the water of condensation and a consequent gsin of efiiciency of the steam plant as a whole.

Myinveution is particularly illustrated in the accompsnying sheet of drawings, in which. Figure 1 is a s plified oi the piping intended to illustra the principles involved in my in- Specification of Letters Patent.

' Applicatiosdlsd 0mm 24. 1906-. Serial s0. 340.265.-

- condo aation from the header 3 into the feed through the feedfpipe 89'at a comparatively highon DE k ns; ILLINOIS; 1 a

1 mm bmmwrm Bureau...

Patented m. '12, 1907.

v this showing such an actual'm'mngement of pipe, valve and other apparatus as nia y bcemployed in carrying out my invention in practice. I

In referring now more particularly to Fig. l, 1 is 9. boiler, and 2 a steam pipe leading therefrom to a head er i 8, from which connections are made-to the stemu'e'n; gines and totlie steam connections of the feed pumps;

4 is a steam pump. of which 5 is the steam cylinder and- 6 is the water cylinder; Tis the water supply pipe, Hithe iced pipe leading from the feed pumpand boiler, and 10 the drip pipe for carrying, the water of 5A R m-8:8-

check valves'are shown at'1 2and 13 I It'is found in practice that after each stroke of feed pumpil, the drip water flows'fi'om pipe 10 through -."i

check valve 13 into the feed pipe 8 '-9,.a.nd hence a 50 succeedingstroke of the feed pump carries the .dr'ip' 'water into the boiler I. This action may by a study of the momentum of the water'in'its course through the feed pipe 8- 9, and the resultantpressure' under the intermittent action of the feed pump "l stroke of the piston oi the'feed pump forces water speed; the stoppingoi the'piston head does'not stop the column of water flowing through the ieedpipe 8 -9, the stoppage of that column being effected only 51th! 0" back pressure of thestam in the boiler, by then" weight of the water being lifted, and by the l'rictiono the water upon the pipes. This is similar to thesction: oithe'well-known hydraulic rain, and-aiter'thafcoim pletion of the stroke of the feed pump 4.' will, continue to flow up the supply-pipe 7, through thbff feed pump 4, and through the feed pipe 8-9 check valve 12. until the causes enumerabed stop theflow j;

- If, now, a suflicient momentum exists in pipe 9 to cause water flow through check -valve 12 after, the completion ill) of the stroke of feed pump 4, then the drip water ili fs" pipe 10 will obtainprecedence over the water in pipe '8 by reason of the steam pressure behind the water in the pipe 10, and as a consequence water will flow irom pipe lo through the check valve 13, and this after .95 every stroke oi the pump '4, thus keeping the drip pipe 10 drained so long as pump! is running.

, In Fig. 2 are shown also valves and pet cooks for con trol of thevarious parts of the drip-return system; and

. also alternative drip-disposition facilities for-use wheil lot the p nup 4 is not running, viz: the valve14, whose out let pipe may lead to a hot well or to a sewer. a

The drip pipe 10 should tap all points of the steam distribution system where drip water is likely to colnear to the pump 4 as Hmyenient.

lect. The pipe 10 puns the 8-9 preferably as I do not wishto myself in all respects to the de- I I tails herein sh ownand described.

1 i I i s i Having thus described my'invent-ion, what I claim asneyc and desire to secure by Unit-ed'Stat ee Letters Patent is: I 1. -In a drip water return system, a steam boiler; a

' 5isteani pipe; an intermittently acting feed pump; a feed pipe connectlng said pump and boiler; and a drip pipe connecting said steam pipe and said feed pipe and havinga check valve, substantially as described.

2. In a drip water return systemga steam boiler; 21

mm pipe; an intermittently acting feed pump; a feed 15 3. in a drip water return system, a steam boiler; a

' steam pipe; an intermittently acting teed pump; a feed pipe connecting said pump and said boiler; a collector chamber wherein dr'ip water may collect and be retained under steam pressure; and a connecting pipe whereby the 20 collected drip water may drain into said feed pipe when the pressure in said-feed plpefails belowthe steam pressure, substantially as described. 5 p

4, In a drip water return system, a steam boiler; 21

team pipe; an intermittently acting feed pump; a teed '25 pipe connecting said pump and said boiier;- a collector chamber wherein dripwater maycoilect and be retained under steam pressure; and a pipe having a check valve and connecting with said teed pipe, substantially as described. r l v 5. In a drip water return system; a steam-boiler; a steam pipe; an intermittently acting teed pump; a. feed pipe connecting said pump and-said boiler; a collector chamber wherein drip water may collect and be retained under steam pressure; and a pipe having a check valve and connectingwith said feed pipe at a point remote from said boiler, substantially as described.

6. In a drip water return system, a steam boiler; '11 teed water pipe; a drip water pipe adapted to hold water or condensation and under the steam pressure of said boiler and to permit the flow of the water ot condensation into sald'feed water pipe when the water pressure in said feed water pipe at the point of connection with said drip water pipe is'iess than the steam pressure in said steam boiler; a check valve in said drip pipe; and means tor varying the water pressure in said feed vvater pipe above and below the steampressure in said steam boiler, substantially as described. v

- Signed by me at De Kalb, county of De Kalb and State of Illinois, in the presence of two Witnesses.

WALTER H. ZIMMERMAN.' Witnesses:

E. J. TEBWILLIGER, F. O. Canes. 

